Colorado Shooting Details

Aurora, CO – On Friday, July 20, 2012, 24-year-old James Eagan Holmes – a neuroscience graduate student from the University of Colorado – opened fired on a packed movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The Century Aurora 16 theater was filled with fans anticipating the first midnight showing of the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises”.

Holmes began his massacre around 12:38 am by setting off tear gas. Armed with weapons including a semi-automatic rifle and shotgun, he killed 12 people and injured close to 60 others. The nearby University of Colorado Hospital was quickly filled with wounded victims of the shooting.

The 12 victims who didn’t survive the attack are:

Alex Sullivan (27-years-old)

Alex Teves (24-years-old)

Alexander “AJ” Boik (18-years-old)

Gordon Cowden (51-years-old)

Jesse Childress (29-years-old)

Jessica Ghawi aka Jessica Redfield (24-years-old)

John Larimer (27-years-old)

Job Blunk (26-years-old)

Matt McQuinn (27-yeasr-old)

Micayla Medek (23-years-old)

Rebecca Wingo (32-years-old)

Veronica Moser-Sullivan (6-years-old)

Jessica Ghawi recently survived the horrific shooting in a Toronto mall. Jon Blunk died shielding his girlfriend Jansen Young as did Matt McQuinn, who shielded his girlfriend Samantha Yowler. It has been reported that six-year-old Veronica Moser-Sullivan’s Ashley Moser is currently in critical condition.

After Holmes was taken into custody it was discovered that his apartment was rigged with explosive devices. Residents of the building and four other nearby buildings were evacuated and sheltered in a high school. His neighbor Kaitlyn Fonzi reported loud music blaring from his apartment (which is directly above hers) shortly after midnight Thursday. When she visited his unit to inquire about lowering the music, Fonzi stated she noticed that the door seemed unlocked but she decided not to enter. Initially thinking Holmes was having a party, Fonzi became nervous when she realized the only noise coming from his apartment was the beat of the music. There were no voices or sound of movement.

Warner Brothers, the studio behind the Batman franchise, quickly pulled the trailers for the “Gangster Squad” film. Oddly enough the “Gangster Squad” promo features a scene similar to the horrific events in Colorado. Mobsters burst through a movie screen and fire machine guns at the viewers sitting in the theater.

In wake of the shootings, a fund to raise money for the families of the victims has been established and contributions are being collected by www.GivingFirst.org. So far over $2 million has been collected, with donations coming from Warner Brothers and Legendary Pictures, small and large corporations as well as donations from foundations, families and individuals.

Donations will go to nonprofit organizations that are providing direct assistance and support to those affected by the shooting. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this painful and difficult time.

“The Dark Knight Rises” star Christian Bale and his wife Sibi Blazic visited some of the victims of the shooting on Tuesday, July 24th. Their tour of the area included visiting many of the medical personnel, police and other first responders to the shooting.

Numerous details have emerged since James E. Holmes appeared in court on Monday, July 23rd. His presence has been considered disheveled, distracted and mentally unstable. The question remains if his mental state is indeed an issue or if he is simply acting out and will plead mental insanity. Allegedly, Holmes sent a notebook detailing his deadly plan to a psychiatrist at the University of Colorado.

As memorials begin for the victims of this heartbreaking and gruesome crime, we send all the families of those involved our deepest condolences. Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this painful and difficult time.

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About the Author

Alana Johnson tries to enjoy the simple things in life and writes for the Lifestyle category on Quality Life Resources. Living in the small New England town of Norwalk, CT, she looks forward to the warm summer months. To submit your own article for my category, please click HERE. View all Self Improvement articles.